London
Green Belt Way 
London
Green Belt Way
[Home]
Stage 3
-
Windsor & Eton Riverside Station
to
Bourne
End
(11.1
miles)
Start: Grid Reference SU 96852 77207 Post Code
SL4 1NA
StreetMap
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
The route
follows the
Thames Path
all the way. At times the path can be narrow, so be aware. The route crosses
Windsor Bridge to Eton, then turns left to follow the Thames past Boveney,
Dorney Lake. Oakley Court, Bray Studios and then Bray village are soon visible
across the river. We continue through Maidenhead, along Cliveden Reach and
through Cookham to cross the Thames to finish at Bourne End.
From the
station go west along Datchet Road. After 100 yards turn right into Thames
Street and continue straight on towards the pedestrian bridge to Eton.
On the left
just next to the Windsor Bridge is
the
Sir Christopher Wren's
House Hotel.
Wren's
father was appointed Dean of Windsor in 1635 when Christopher was two years old.
He spent a lot of his childhood living in Windsor, and studied mathematics,
science and Latin at Oxford. By the age of 30 he was elected Professor of
Astronomy at Oxford. He was President of the
Royal Society
from 1680 -
82. However, he is best known as one of Britain's
greatest architects, and St Paul's
Cathedral in London is his most famous work. He was knighted in 1672. Wren built
the house in Windsor as his family home in 1676. In the 1920's
the house was converted to a restaurant and guesthouse. Since then it has
changed hands many times and has been extended greatly, but has retained many of
its original features. Currently it is a Grade II listed, 4-star,
96 bedroom hotel. Directly across the street, and also next to the bridge, is a
smaller house which is also called Christopher Wren's
House, maybe this was his original house at Windsor. The
house
featured in the popular ITV drama,
Midsomer Murders
and is one of the first of numerous
locations
used in the series which we pass on our route. I will mention a few of the
others along the way.
In the late
1990s, archaeology evidence was found to suggest there was a bridge between
Windsor and Eton as far back as 1400
-
1300 BC during the Bronze Age
-
so states the
Windsor-Berkshire website.
However, during Roman Times there is no evidence of a bridge. The next bridge
was believed to have been built just after the Norman Invasion of 1066 when
William the Conqueror fortified the town with his wooden castle. From the
Domesday Book we know a farmer called Osbert de Bray collected over
4 pounds
from tolls for boats passing under the bridge. In 1242, the bridge was rebuilt
using local oak trees and this stayed in place until the 1820s. The older bridge
was replaced when the current one was opened in 1824. This was a toll bridge,
but with local campaigns, led by Joseph Taylor, the tolls were removed in 1898.
A
blue plaque
at the toll house remembers Taylor and Charles Hollis, architect of the bridge.
With the
growth of motor vehicles through the 1950s and 60s, Windsor Bridge started to
develop cracks and by April 1970, it was decided to close it to traffic. By the
start of this millennium, the bridge needed reinforcing due to the volume of
pedestrians who used it. When the work was completed, Queen Elizabeth II
officially reopened the bridge on 3rd June 2002. There were many new
additions such as seats, flowers and other things to add to it appearance. The
occasion was commemorated by the unveiling of a
circular plaque on the
ground in the centre of the bridge.
Where Thames
Smooth Waters Glide has a wealth of information of everything to do with the
River Thames. You can visit the section on
Windsor Bridge
by following the link.
There are so
many other things to see in Windsor and I could go on for pages, but will stop
here. To find out more, follow the link to
Windsor Castle
on the
British Monarchy
website, and visit
Royal Borough of Windsor &
Maidenhead.
Both the
Windsor
and the
ThamesWeb
websites have some great photos of Windsor and the surrounding area.
Cross over
Windsor Bridge to Eton, then turn left into Brocas Street.
On the corner is the old George Inn and to the right is the narrow old High
Street of Eton which leads to the famous college, there will be more on this
below.
Continue along
Brocas Street and straight on past the Waterman's
Arms, staying left of the pub. At the Eton College Boathouse, take the narrow
alleyway to its right. Follow this past some cottages to the large open meadow
of The Brocas. On
reaching the meadow, veer left towards the river and follow the Thames Towpath
west.
The
George Inn
dates from 1750 and was the first pub to be owned and run by the
Windsor & Eton Brewery.
It was used as a location in
"The
Magician's
Nephew"
episode of
Midsomer Murders.
The
Waterman's
Arms
is older. According to the pub website:
"Built circa 1682, the deceptively large building has had a multitude of uses. It was originally the home of brewer Robert Style, and was formerly the Eton Parish workhouse, before becoming a watering hole for the Watermen and Lightermen. The original Waterman's pub was next to a sawmill in Kings Stable Street, back then the street also housed Royal carriages and horses for Windsor Castle."
The Brocas
gets its name from
Sir John de Brocas,
who acquired this and much other land in the area in the early 1300s. King
Edward III appointed him Master of the King's
Horse and later Chief Forrester of Windsor Forest. The Brocas stayed in his
family for generations before being given to Eton College.
Eton College
was founded by Henry VI in 1440 as
"The
King's
College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor".
It has many old buildings and valued treasures, including
Eton Chapel
with its magnificent wall paintings. The original of
Grays Elegy
is amongst its manuscripts and is kept in the college library.
The college
was originally built to provide free education for 70 poor scholars, who would
then go on to further their education at King's College, Cambridge, founded a
year later. The college now has about 1,300
boys aged from 13 to 18 and is one of the world's most exclusive schools. It
still has its reduced fee scholars and up until recently for full fee-paying
pupils (costing over 46 k
pounds
per year
-
2022/2023
fees). In the past
the boys had to have their names down from birth and still pass
the entrance exam. Their school uniform is very formal and includes a black
tailcoat, pinstripe trousers and a stiff collar.
Eton has
educated many statesmen from around the world and at least 20 former British
Prime Ministers including the Duke of Wellington, Walpole, Pitt the Elder,
Macmillan, Douglas-Holme, David Cameron and Boris Johnson. Two more recent
notables are Prince William and his younger brother Prince Harry. Their
grandmother (The Queen)
was often in residence just across the bridge at the
castle and it would have been handy for the boys to pop in for afternoon tea or
Sunday roast.
The college is
famous for rowing, but for a period up until the 1840s the river was out of
bounds to the boys. However, during this time, if a master saw a boy heading for
the river, he took no action, provided the boy raised his arm in front of his
face in a ritualistic gesture which indicated that he shouldn't be there. The
boy was theoretically invisible, nothing was said and honour was saved - hence
the saying "saving
face".
Through the
centuries, there have been many well-known people educated here, more than I
have time to write about. However,
Humphrey Lyttelton
(1921 -
2008), jazz musician and broadcaster deserves a mention. Humphrey was born at
Eton College on 23rd May 1921 where his father
George William Lyttelton
(2nd son of
Lord Lyttelton)
was a teacher of classics and English literature. He was educated at Eton where
he was "fagged"
by
Lord Carrington.
At Eton, he enjoyed listening to jazz, taught himself to play the trumpet, and
at the age of 15 formed a quartet with fellow pupils in 1936.
Ludovic Kennedy
(1919
-
2009), journalist, broadcaster and author, was
on drums.
Humphrey Lyttelton became one of England's
most famous jazz musicians and one of the country's
most respected broadcasters, chairing BBC's
radio programme "I'm
Sorry I Haven't a Clue"
for 40 years.
You can read
more about the history of Eton College on the
college website,
the fictional people from films and books who were said to have studied here,
such as
James Bond
(007),
Ronald Eustace Psmith
and Justin Finch-Fletchley
(from
Harry Potter),
and about the scenes from movies made here
-
including, Shakespeare in Love, the race in Chariots of Fire, etc. By visiting
Wikipedia,
you can see an incredible list of celebrities, authors, politicians, scientists
and artists who studied at the college,
Some of the
traffic signs around Eton are a touch one-sided
when it comes to sexuality
"Beware
Boys Crossing"
and it's
surprising that in this age of political correctness the college has not been
taken to task about them.
Eton High
Street,
which runs from the bridge to the College, is a delight with many old shops,
galleries, inns, restaurants and hotels. The oldest being the
Cockpit
(see
https://cockpiteton.co.uk), a half-timbered
building dating from 1420 and until recently an Indian restaurant. This was once
the setting for the barbaric sport of cock-fighting. The
original cockpit still exists behind the building and is one of only a few
remaining in the country. It is said the building is haunted by a little old
lady who flirts between the tables, as if looking for something lost. Her manner
is so unobtrusive, that successive owners have left her to her own devices.
If you do
decide to take a short detour along Eton High Street there are many little
pieces of history to look out for. My favourite has to be the
25 mile marker
for the 1908 London Olympic Marathon. The race started at Windsor Castle and
finished in front of the Royal Box in White City Stadium at Shepherd's
Bush. The distance was 26 miles and 385 yards. It was supposed to be about 25
miles, but Polytechnic Harriers who organised the race adjusted the distance.
Eventually, this became the recognised marathon distance and is still today. The
race had a
dramatic finish
with the winner collapsing just before the finish line and was disqualified for
being helped to the end. After the games a Polytechnic Marathon was held every
year up until 1996. West 4 Harriers were the last running club to organise it
from 1993 to 1995. A commercial company took over in 1996, but due to traffic
congestion the event was then cancelled. Two members of West 4 Harriers, and
previously involved in organising the
Polytechnic Marathon,
Tony Hopkins & Mark Critchlow, continued to run the route each year up until
2006,
Following the
river from Eton to Maidenhead is peaceful, but the towpath can be narrow and in
places congested. The route follows the path next to the river across The
Brocas.
Look left and
back to get a good
view
of the castle, over Windsor and of the
Royal Windsor Wheel
at Alexandra Gardens (during certain summer months). To the right the top of
Eton College Chapel is
visible above the trees. In front is
Brunel's "bow
& string"
rail
bridge
over the Thames. This was first opened on the 8th October 1849 and is
the oldest wrought iron bridge still in use. To the right of the bridge a
lengthy
viaduct
carries the railway over the flood plain for an extra mile on its way to Slough
and eventually to London Paddington.
A
plaque on the pile of
the bridge, next to the Thames Path, states,
"This
plaque was unveiled on 20 June 1991, by the Mayor of the Royal Borough of
Windsor and Maidenhead, Cllr Miss Ursula Badger, to mark the restoration of the
bridge by network rail".
Shortly after
passing under Brunel's
bridge, cross a footbridge to an island, then another footbridge to a second
island.
To the RHS is
Cuckoo Weir Island. It is occupied by
Swan Lifeline,
a charity devoted entirely to the care of sick and injured swans. The charity
was started from private houses, but in 1992 when looking for a suitable site to
expand, they were offered the island on lease and free of charge by Eton
College.
After another
200 yards the Thames Path passes under a large road bridge. Stay straight on.
The
Queen Elizabeth Bridge
was opened in July 1966, a few years before Windsor Bridge was closed to
traffic. The road bridge carries the A332 (Windsor & Eton Relief Road) over the
Thames towards the M4 and Slough and keeps most of the through traffic away from
the quiet and picturesque streets of Windsor and Eton. Through the years the
wall of the bridge, next to the Thames Path, has been a popular place for
graffiti artists. At the time of writing a tasteful
mural
of faces adorns the wall.
Just past the
bridge look left across the river to get a glimpse of Windsor's
oldest building,
St Andrew's
Church
at Clewer. It dates from around 1100, though its Saxon font indicates that a
much older church may have once stood on the site. It is believed William the
Conqueror attended services there, and in 1848,
William Gladstone
established a refuge at a convent in nearby Hatch Lane to help prostitutes from
London to rehabilitate. Clewer church can be reached by following a path,
immediately past the bridge, to the right of the towpath, up the side of the
road bridge and then over the river on the pavement.
60 yards after
the road bridge, with a large meadow in front, take the well-defined path to the
right. This is the main path and a short cut across the island. Some may choose
to follow the grassy path around the shore but this does add a few hundred yards
to the distance.
The path
eventually leads to a footbridge (at 1 mile) across a stream to leave the
island. From here, stay left along the towpath following the bank of to the
river.
After a short
distance a bench overlooks the river, this marks a place known as
Athens.
It is a bathing area for the boys of Eton College. The bathing regulations are
laid out on a
granite plinth
behind the bench.
"BATHING
REGULATIONS AT ATHENS
Fifth Form
Nants in First Hundred and Upper and Middle Divisions may bathe at Athens. No
bathing at Athens on Sundays after 8.30 a.m. At Athens, boys who are undressed
must either get at once into the water or get behind screens when boats
containing ladies come in sight. Boys when bathing are not allowed to land on
Windsor Bank or to swim out to launches and barges or to hang onto, or interfere
with boats of any kind. Any boy breaking this rule will be severely punished.
From School Rules of the River 1921"
On the
opposite bank,
through the trees
is the parade ring of the
Royal Windsor Racecourse.
The racecourse is on an island formed by the Mill Stream and occupies the
opposite bank for well over a mile to past the finish of the stage at Boveney.
Hidden behind the racecourse is the
Racecourse Marina,
formally the Royal Windsor Racecourse Yacht Basin. The entrance to the marina
can be seen further upstream opposite the boathouse at Dorney Lake.
Continuing
upstream along the towpath, at points signed the Thames Path.
To your LHS is
the River Thames and to your RHS a huge open meadow and flood plain named South
Field. Possibly owned, like most of the other land along this stretch of the
Thames, by Eton College. Paths do branch off through the field, but stay along
the path next to the Thames.
At
Boveney Lock
keep straight on through the gate and past
the lock,
staying on a narrow path next to the river. NOTE: Do not take the lane on the
right.
The lock was
first built in 1838, but in 1898 it was rebuilt closer to the north bank of the
river. On the site of the older lock boat rollers were installed and are still
used today. The weir runs from the other side of the lock island to the south
bank. Below the weir is a large pool used by pleasure craft as a turning point.
On summer days the lock can be queued by other pleasure craft. On the RHS of the
towpath, and just before reaching the lock is a novel sculpture next to the
path. A
fishtail
sticking up from the ground points the destinations in both directions. A cycle
path to the right leads away from the river towards Boveney and it's
tempting to follow it. However, stay with the river.
420 yards past
the lock is an open grassy area with a bench and an old church to our right.
The church of
St Mary Magdalene
is partly 12th Century, is a Grade 1 listed building, and has been
restored by the
Friends of Friendless
Churches,
a charity founded in 1957 to save disused but beautiful old places of worship.
The church was built to serve as a place of worship for bargemen who plied their
trade nearby at a wharf on the river used for transporting timber from Windsor
Forest. It was also thought to have been used as a chapel of the nearby Boveney
Court, owned by the Abbey of Burnham.
Once again
"Where
Thames Smooth Waters Glide"
has a great history
section
on Boveney, the lock and the church.
The path away
from the river and past the church leads to a small car park, aka the
"Ramblers
Car Park",
owned by Eton College, and the tiny
village
of
Boveney.
Here there are some beautiful old houses and large open pastures. This is a very
peaceful and well-hidden part of this country, and one of the houses provides
self-catering
accommodation.
Near the entrance to the car park, a path leads to the boathouse of Eton College
at Dorney Lake.
For a more
detailed history of Boveney and its old church visit
British History Online.
It also gets a mention in the
Domesday Book
of 1086.
From the
church of St Mary Magdalene at Boveney stay straight on along the Thames Path
for 4.25 miles to just after Brunel's
railway bridge at Maidenhead.
Soon, through
the trees to the right, is a well-designed modern building. This is the
boathouse at
Dorney Lake,
a purpose-built
rowing lake. It took ten years to build, was completed in 2006 and is the
property of Eton College. The lake extends parallel to the river for over two
kilometres. It was the main centre for rowing and canoe sprints during the
2012 London Olympics & Paralympics. Temporary grandstands were erected next to
the lake, which meant crowds of up to 30,000 could be accommodated each day.
A large temporary
footbridge
was also built across the River Thames from Windsor Racecourse to just upstream
from the old church. That way the racecourse acted as a transport hub and
spectators just had to
walk over
the footbridge to reach the venue.
During the
Olympics the name of the venue was changed to Eton Dorney. There are many videos
of the 2012 Olympics at Dorney on
YouTube.
The venue was famous for the loud noise made by the huge crowds
-
"the
Dorney Roar".
After 300
yards the path passes a strange building to your RHS. This is
a boat shed
belonging to Eton College. The path crosses the slipway which runs
down to a landing area next to the river. A path, just before the building and
going down the side of it leads to Dorney Lake. It's
a very short distance and well worth the diversion.
Immediately
across the river, although not obvious is an island, behind which flows the
entrance channel to the Windsor Racecourse Marina. You should be able to see it
emerge after another 150 yards, at which point the huge boat club at Dorney Lake
will be to your RHS.
Half a mile
later, across the river is the entrance to
Windsor Marina.
Then after another half a mile look across the river to see
Oakley Court. A
magnificent Victorian, gothic, turreted house built in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall
Say. The area around the building is called
Water Oakley
which has Roman and Iron Age connections. It was also once the site of the Saxon
According to
the
Oakley Court Hotel
website, Richard Hall married Ellen Evans of the nearby Boveney Court in 1857
and was appointed High Sheriff of Berkshire in 1864. In 1874 the house was sold
to
Lord Otto Fitzgerald,
MP for Kildare, then to a John Lewis Phipps and in 1900 to Sir William Avery. In
1919 the house together with 50 acres of land was purchased by Ernest Olivier
for 27 k. He was an eccentric character and often entertained foreign diplomats,
flying their country's
flag from the house's
flagpole during their stay. It is believed that during World War II the house
was used by the French Resistance and General
Charles de Gaulle
(1890 -
1970) is reputed to have stayed.
Next to
In 1951
Hammer Film Productions
made a derelict
In 1965,
Ernest Olivier, owner of the neighbouring
In 1979 work
started on converting
A short
distance past Bray Studios is
Queen's
Eyot.
This is a small island which has been owned by Eton College since 1923 when it
was sold to them for a meager 10 shillings (50 pence). Soon afterwards the
college built an attractive clubhouse on the island to be used by the
"boys"
for their enjoyment. This burnt down in 1990 and the college built a new one.
The beautifully landscaped island, covering an area of four acres, is still used
by the "boys",
but can also be booked for special occasions such as weddings, parties or
corporate functions.
As a point of
interest, the words eyot, eyte, ait and ayt are all old English words meaning
island, the route passes many of these on the journey up the River Thames.
Behind Queen's
Eyot hides
Bray Marina
which can partly be seen to the left just after passing the island. Soon after
this, on the side of towpath is an iron
mile post
and next to it is a path going off to the right (now at 4.2 miles into the
stage). This leads away from the river past the northwest edge of
If you get a chance to visit Dorney Village, you won't be disappointed. This small village has 45 listed buildings and three of them are grade 1 listed. If you visit the Dorney History Group website, it has lots of information about the village and links to all the listed buildings.
Within a short
distance we pass under
the
Summerleaze Footbridge
which crosses the river. It was built in 1995 as a conveyor belt to transport
gravel from the digging of
Just upstream
from Summerleaze
Footbridge is Monkey Island.
The name is thought to have derived from an earlier one
"Monks
Eyot"
after monks who used the island. The monks were a cell of Merton Priory and had
a fishery just upstream at Amerden Bank, near Bray Lock. They lived on a moated
site established in 1197, on the north bank of the river. In the 14th
Century the island became the property of the nearby
Burnham Abbey,
a house of Augustinian nuns founded in 1266. However, during the Dissolution of
the Monasteries in the 16th Century the abbey was closed. It is worth
mentioning that in 1913 the remains of the abbey were bought by Lawrence Bissley
who restored many of the buildings and converted the original chapter house into
a chapel. In 1916 a community of Anglican Augustinian nuns moved back into the
abbey and as you can see from their website the sisters of the
"Society
of Precious Blood"
are still there today.
Up until the
17th Century the island was very susceptible to flooding, but with
the Great Fire of
London in 1666, Berkshire stone was brought up the river in barges from
Oxford for rebuilding and on their way back they carried rubble from the
burnt-out buildings. Much of the rubble was dumped on islands along the
Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke
of Marlborough
bought the island from Sir Francis Englefield in 1723 after seeing the property
whilst attending a meeting of the Kit-Kat
Club at nearby
By 1840 the Pavilion had been converted into a riverside inn, reachable only by ferry from the south bank. The island became very fashionable from 1900 when Edward VII and Queen Alexandra often came here with their three children for afternoon tea on the lawn. All three would be future monarchs - George V, Edward VIII and George VI.
Edward Elgar
(1857 -
1934) is said to have composed his violin concerto in 1910, plus some of his
other works, at his friend Francis Schuster's
house The Hut (now Long White Cloud) on the Berkshire bank adjacent to the
island. In 2007 a blue plaque was unveiled to commemorate Elgar's
association with the property.
Monkey Island
was often frequented by
HG Wells
and
Rebecca West
during their 10 year love affair. Rebecca used the place as the setting for her
first novel "Return
of the Soldier".
The footbridge
was built in 1956 making the island more accessible from the south bank. Since
then many additional rooms have been added, and both the original buildings have
been restored and are now Grade 1 listed. The buildings then all became part of
the Monkey Island Hotel. It was here in 1991 the
"Birmingham
Six"
spent their first night of freedom in secrecy. In 2007 the island and hotel were
sold by Metropolitan Hotels International to
To the right
on passing
To the RHS,
after 250 yards, a path leads away from the river to Amerden Lane. Our route
stays with the Thames Path. However, if you intend to camp on this walk, just
100 yards along the lane is
Amerden Caravan & Camping
Site
(see
official website).
Soon the path
passes
Bray Lock,
(at 5 miles) built in 1854 (see
Wikipedia entry). The
After passing
Headpile Eyot the
Bray village
is a really pleasant and peaceful place with lots of history and buildings from
many eras. In 2005 and 2014 it won the
"Small
Village Award"
in the
Britain in Bloom
competition. The
Jesus Hospital
alms houses of 1627, endowed by
William Goddard,
still serve their original purpose. This was the setting for Fred Walker's
painting "The
Harbour of Refuge".
The village is unique by being home to two of the world's
top restaurants,
The Fat Duck
and
The Waterside Inn,
two of only a few restaurants in the UK with 3 Michelin Stars. In 2005 the
Heston Blumenthal's
Fat Duck was awarded best restaurant in the world. The same year the nearby
Alain Roux's
The Waterside Inn
was ranked 19th best in the world. The Fat Duck also won the top
award in 2010. The properties along the riverside here are very desirable and
sometimes the local press refer to the upstream riverbank at Bray as
"Millionaire's
Row".
There is no wonder
Bray
attracts many tourists and is home to a long list of celebrities
The path
continues between trees and around a large bend for over half a mile. It then
widens out on reaching
The railway
bridge was built by Brunel in 1839. It carries the Paddington to
When passing
Maidenhead Railway Bridge (at 6.5 miles) use the walkway under the arch. 150
yards after the bridge turn left through a gate, signed Thames Path. Follow the
path to the river, past
Maidenhead Rowing Club
and under Maidenhead Bridge.
Once under the bridge veer right and go through a gate, then right along the
pavement up to the bridge and right again to follow the
pavement across the bridge.
Up to Norman
Times the area around Maidenhead Bridge
was a minor trading post between two Saxon burghs. However, in the mid 13th
Century a wooden toll bridge was built with a wharf on the western bank of the
river. The area prospered and a substantial settlement grew up next to this
important crossing point of the Thames, on what was the main route from
Between 1772
and 1777 the wooden bridge was replaced by the current one. This beautiful
balustrade bridge was authorised by an Act by Parliament in 1772, designed by
Sir Robert Taylor
and built of
Portland Stone. Today
it carries the A4, over the Thames as it journeys from
Once over the
bridge turn right on a path through a small riverside park named
Bridge Gardens.
The A4 goes
straight on into the centre of the
Maidenhead. The centre of the town is set well back from the river because
of problems with flooding over the centuries. Two plaques (see
photo1 and
photo2) on the foot of
the bridge, next to the park, record the history of the bridge and the flood of
1947. The monument just to the left of the path and facing the A4 is a horse
trough. It was donated to the town in 1908 by Mrs Ada Lewis-Hill and originally
sat outside the
Thames Riviera Hotel
on the opposite side of the A4. In the 1970s, many years after horses ceased to
be a popular mode of transport, the trough was moved to the park and in late
2010 was relocated to a more central position. Now an illuminated
fountain,
it sits within a pool, and is surrounded by a paved area with seating, so users
can enjoy the fountain as well as views of the River Thames and Maidenhead
Bridge.
On the north
side corner of the park, next to the river, a
digital meter shows the
volume of flow of water at this point. The Environment Agency uses ultrasonic
"time
of flight"
technology to measure the velocity of the water and thus calculate the flow rate
in the river. The meter is only on display for the public as the flow is
constantly monitor electronically by the Environment Agency. You can read more
about Bridge Gardens at
Royal Borough of Windsor &
Maidenhead.
Maidenhead was
where
King Charles I
was allowed to say goodbye to his three younger children. The meeting took place
on 16th July 1647 at the Greyhound Inn on the High Street (now the
NatWest Bank). The meeting was watched by Oliver Cromwell from an upper window
and is remembered by a plaque on the building. The King was later held prisoner
at
For a full
history of the town follow the link to
The Royal Borough of
Windsor & Maidenhead.
The
Maidenhead Heritage Centre
lists important dates in order, or for a simplified version see
Royal Berkshire History
"for Kids".
Follow the
path diagonally across the park to
It's
a shame the path next to the river is blocked by some flats, thus making the
Thames Path cross this busy road twice in a short distance. However, according
to a news article, the local council is planning to do something about this.
Update as of July 2018. The local council were true to their promise and there
is now a pavement on the RHS of the road, so no crossing a busy road anymore.
Upstream from
Across the
road on the left is the
Thames Hotel.
It was opened in the 1880s and was apparently once lost by the owner in a card
game. Just north of it is the Riverside Gardens and Play Area (at 7 miles) which
has the added bonus of
Jenner's
Riverside Cafe
and crazy golf.
After passing
Grass Eyot the
The next
island is the long and narrow
Boulters Lock Island.
Behind this sits
Ray Mill Island
-
both are joined by a footbridge.
Boulters Lock dates from 1772 and was made famous by E.J.Gregory's
painting "Boulter's
Lock, Sunday Afternoon"
(1882 -
1897). This area of the
"Boulter"
is derived from the word
"bolter"
meaning miller, and takes its name from the flour mill built on the island by
the Ray Family in 1726. The island was acquired by Maidenhead Borough Council in
1950 and is now a park open to the public. At the time the mill buildings were
converted to the Boulters Inn, which just recently has been converted again,
this time to
The Boathouse at Boulter's
Lock.
One notable resident who lived on the north tip of the island was reporter and
broadcaster
Richard Dimbleby
(1913 -
1965) as commemorated by a
blue plaque
on the bridge at the lock. Apparently, he often came out and shouted at boats to
slow down if they were travelling too fast along the river.
The lock and
islands here can be really busy on warm days. There's
a wooden ice-cream kiosk
next to the bridge, an old green
telephone box,
by the entrance to the restaurant. Ray Mill Island is a public park with laid
out gardens and lots of benches. It has a
fountain,
a
memorial statue,
named "The
Companions",
to four local schoolboys who died in a skiing accident in 1988, another entitled
"Vintage
Boys",
plus a
statue
of a woman feeding swans.
Update from
Taplow Riverside Conservation Area as I said I would do above. Glen Island,
where Taplow Paper Mill ceased production in 2006, has been redeveloped as a
residential area. However, the Jubilee River Path has been extended along the
island and a new footbridge has been built to Ray Mill Island thus giving a new
crossing of the River Thames above Maidenhead Bridge. The footbridge was
designed with Brunel's
Railway Bridge in mind and was officially opened, by the then Prime Minister,
Theresa May on 2 November 2018. You can read about thr
footbridge at Where Thames Smooth
Waters Glide.
200 yards
after Boulters Lock the Thames parts company with the road. Follow the Thames
Path as it veers off to the right and stays with the river for the next 1.5
miles on its way towards Cookham.
The path
passes through a wooden gate, known as a TC (or Thames Conservation) gate and
past the north tip of Bolters Lock Island. Here the north part of Glen Island is
now visible and after a short distance look back between both islands to see
Boulter's
Weir. On passing the north tip of Glen Island the Mill Race Stream can be
seen going off to the right.
Between 1996
and 2002 the Mill Race Stream was extended by over 7 miles to rejoin the Thames
below
To the left
for a few hundred yards, with gardens backing onto the towpath, are some
pleasant dwellings. The last of these is an imposing Edwardian mansion called
Islet Park House. In 1957
Gerry Anderson
and
Arthur Provis
rented part of the mansion as a base for their small production company
AP Films.
Later that year it was here they made their first television production
"The
Adventures of Twizzle"
a 52 episode children's
puppet series. Their next venture was a series called
"Torchy
the Battery Boy".
In 1960 the mansion came up for sale for a bargain price of 16,500.
In front of
Islet Park House, the Thames Path crosses a
footbridge.
The stream going off to the left is White Brook which crosses Widbrook Common
then turns south to join the York Stream through Maidenhead and flow along The
Cut to rejoin the
For over the
next mile, the towpath goes along an area called
Cliveden Reach.
Cliveden is an old English word meaning
"valley
by the cliffs"
and this is said to be one of the most beautiful stretches of the
The first
house built here was in 1666 by
George Villiers, 2nd
Duke of Buckingham.
He built it as a hunting lodge and a place to entertain his friends and
mistresses. One such mistress,
Anna Talbot, Countess of
Shrewsbury,
held his horse disguised as page while the Duke killed her husband in a duel
over the woman's
honour.
Between 1696
and 1737 the house was owned by
George Hamilton, 1st
Earl of Orkney
and guests included King George I and Queen Caroline. From 1737 to 1751 Cliveden
was home to
Frederick, Prince of Wales
and his family. It was leased from Anne, 2nd Countess of Orkney for
600 per year. The Prince was a music lover and enjoyed entertaining guests. It
was here in 1740 where
Rule Britannia
was first performed. After
The Duke
commissioned architect
Charles Barry
to rebuild. Barry had previously been responsible for designing Big Ben and the
Houses of Parliament. The Italianate building, we see today was completed in
1851. Queen
The final
scandal was the Profumo Affair in 1963. It all started in January 1961 when John
Profumo (the British Secretary of State for War) met models Christine Keeler and
Mandy Rice-Davies
by the pool at Cliveden. He was one of a number of the high society who were
attending a dinner organised by Bill Astor. Lord Mountbatten is also said to
have been present. Keller and Rice-Davies
were staying at
Spring Cottage (you will see it across the river on this walk) in the
grounds of the estate with
Dr Stephen Ward,
a fashionable osteopath of the time and a close friend of Bill Astor's.
The diners could hear the commotion of Ward's
party enjoying themselves just outside next to the pool, so went out to see what
was happening. There are different stories saying how little both ladies were
wearing and Profumo was introduced to Keeler. This meeting was to prove fatal as
a short affair between Profumo and the nineteen-year-old
Keeler ensued. Questioned about this in the House of Commons he lied, but later
the truth came out. It also happened that Keeler had been sleeping with
Eugene Ivanov,
the naval attache
at the Soviet embassy. When this came to light it really upset the
John Profumo
went on to do charity work for over four decades in
At the height
of the Profumo Affair in 1963, Christine Keeler posed for a photo shoot with
Lewis Moody. A
photo
from the shoot became famous and was later used to promote the 1989 movie
"Scandal"
based on the affair. In the photo she is portrayed as naked with her legs wide
open sitting backwards on a chair. The chair covered most of the essential parts
of her body, leaving the rest to the imagination and is possibly one of the most
erotic and most remembered photos of all time.
Many of the
guests at the Cliveden party seemed to get hounded by the establishment. Stephen
Ward was arrested in June 1963 and put on trial for making money from
prostitution. He overdosed on the last day of the trial never recovering, and
never knowing the verdict. He died shortly afterward. Mandy Rice-Davies
on being questioned during Ward's
trial, about having an affair with Lord Astor (after him denying this), replied
with one of the most famous quotes of the 20th Century
-
"He
would, wouldn't
he?".
Christine Keeler was imprisoned for 9 months for perjury in a different trial.
Afterwards, she mainly kept a quiet life, but did appear on TV chat shows in the
late 1980's
when the movie "Scandal"
was first released. In 1987 she appeared with Mandy Rice-Davies
and Mandy Smith on a promotional video for Brian Ferry's
hit single "Kiss
and Tell".
In 2001 she released an autobiography entitled
"The Truth at
Last, My Story" which gives her version of the
events at Cliveden. Maybe we'll
never know the whole truth, about how a young beautiful, naive girl got involved
and caught up in high society, took on a bit more than she could handle and
ended up coming out of it in an unlucky way by taking a government down without
trying. It does say something about how hard each opposition party tries to
remove the government of the day, but as with the story of Troy, it only takes a
beautiful girl to destroy a very powerful establishment.
Since I
originally wrote this,
Mandy Rice-Davies died in 2014 and
Christine Keeler in
2017. You can read more about John Profumo at
Wikipedia.
To see some
excellent photos of Cliveden House and grounds visit
Peter Goodearl's
website.
At 9 miles the
path turns left away from the river and towards Cookham.
It is at the
point where the path leaves the river that Cliveden House is only a stones'
throw away at the top of the cliff on the opposite side. However, from here the
house is obscured by the cliff and the trees. In pre-Norman times this was a
fording point on the river and more recently there was a ferry.
On leaving the
river behind the
path
goes through a narrow wood. To the left through the trees are fields and to our
right, but difficult to see is
Formosa Place,
a large country house on the banks of the River Thames built in 1785 for
Sir George Young, 1st
Baronet.
The property was passed down through generations to
Sir George Young MP, 6th
Baronet
(born 1941) and government minister under John Major PM was
Leader of the House of
Commons.
The old house has now been demolished and redeveloped.
Follow the
path through the wood and then left and adjacent to a road.
After 450
yards and on passing a gate and some buildings, to the LHS, cross a lane and
veer slightly left to follow an enclosed semi-circular path which after another
125 yards comes out onto Mill Lane and next to The Sol Mill.
The Sol Mill
for centuries was the site of a working mill. Through the garden flows the Mill
Stream and Lulle Brook. They form a small island reached by a footbridge.
Throughout the 1970s, 80s and beyond this was one of the most important
recording studios in the UK. Originally, named The Mill Studio and then Sol
Studios. Owners included Gus Dudgeon, Jimmy Page and Chris Rea. In recent years
it has reverted to being a private residence. There is so much music history
here, I'm
not going to write all this, but you can read some of it at
Wikipedia, also see
The Mill Recording Studios.
On the other
side of Lulle Brook is
Formosa Island,
the largest island on the non-tidal Thames covering an area of 50 acres. It is
home to the Odney Club Sports Grounds, owned by the John Lewis Partnership.
The lane to
the right leads past old cottages including Sol Mill and on to the very private
adjacent entrances of Formosa House to the right and Formosa Court to the left
-
again the Court has been redeveloped and is now flats.
Turn left
along Mill Lane, finger-posted
Thames Path. The lane is narrow, has little traffic and is rural with only the
odd desirable residence appearing intermittently.
Soon to the
right is a cricket ground with some peculiar mushroom shaped sculptures next to
it. Also, just a few yards after a double metal gate, a tree on the LHS has a
plaque
on a tree states "On
this site in 1785 nothing happened".
I wouldn't
worry about this as it's
just a local buying a plaque many others have bought, there are many others, and
many others use this and similar from websites.
At the end of
the lane a wall obscures the traffic coming from the right along the main road.
The wall is of a house named
The Old Ship. The house was once a convent and there is still a piscine in
one of the ground floor rooms. It later became a pub, hence the name, and today
is a private dwelling with many of the original features including four
staircases are still in place. They staircases, I assume, were there as a means
to escape when persecuted.
On reaching a
T-junction
with the main road (A4094,
Cookham
is made up of three parts
-
During
"Saxon
Times"
Cookham became a frontier settlement between
On continuing
through the village, soon to the left is the High Street with its many old
houses, pubs and restaurants, and on the corner is the
Sir Stanley Spencer
was born on
Just after the
Stanley Spencer Gallery the road twists to the right and then to the left. At
this point, to the right, is the ancient
Tarry Stone,
a mounting block or possibly a meteorite. Behind it on the wall a plaque recalls
games played here in 1506. It seems it has been moved at least twice, as the
plaque states, was returned here (its ancient site) in AD 1937. A local amateur
theatre group, the "Tarrystone
Players"
is named after the stone.
To the right
of the stone is
On passing
This is a very
old and important part of the village. In front is Churchgate House, a timber
framed building dating from 1350 and once owned by the Cirencester Abbey. It was
where the Abbot stayed when visiting, and in recent years a priest hole has been
found in the house.
After just a
few yards turn right through a wooden gate. Follow the left of the two paths
across the graveyard and past the tower of the Church.
Just inside
the gate, on the left is the
Cookham Angel,
on occasions this would appear in Stanley Spencer's
paintings.
A few steps past this is a
stone tablet which commemorates the painter and his first wife, Hilda. He
died in 1959, was cremated and his ashes were spread on this spot. His first
wife Hilda is buried in the graveyard. A Judas tree was planted next to the
stone to commemorate the centenary of his birth. They are both approximately on
the spot which gives the view of the church in his painting
"The
Resurrection, Cookham".
The
Holy Trinity Church was built by the
The path
leaves the churchyard and passes through an open area and onto the riverside (at
10 miles). Turn left along the Thames Path keeping the river to your RHS.
To the right
is
Cookham Bridge.
This narrow iron bridge, was built in 1867 replacing an earlier wooden bridge
built in 1839. It has recently been repainted blue, its original colour. On the
opposite bank next to the bridge is the old
toll house.
The toll was removed around 1947. The bridge is portrayed in Stanley Spencer's
painting "Swan
Upping at Cookham"
(1915 -
1919). He started it before serving in the First World War and didn't
complete it until after the war.
Swan Upping
is a colourful event which dates back to the 12th Century when the
Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans in open water. At this time swans were
considered a banqueting delicacy. Today the ceremony is a way of conserving the
swan population on the river. It takes place each year in the third week of July
between Sunbury Lock and Abingdon, Her Majesty's
Swan Keeper takes to his boat together with representatives of the Vintners'
and Dyers'
Companies in their double sculling skiffs to mark the swans and assess their
health. To watch an informative video of the event see
VisitThames.
In 2002, for
HM Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee, artist, entertainer and local resident
Timmy Mallett
completed a series of 50 portraits of people from Cookham entitled
The Cookham Jubilee Collection
(link has been removed from website).
As
well as ordinary locals it also included many well-known people who live in the
area, such as Sir Clive Woodward, Ulrika Jonsson, Wendy Craig and Jim Rosenthal.
From the
Cookham Village website
you can also take a tour of the town and find out more about businesses and
events in the local area (also see the
Cookham Society).
Most of the village is designated a
Conservation Area
. Also, see
Cookham's entry
at
Wikipedia.
Follow the Thames
Path upstream along the towpath in the opposite direction to
Cookham Bridge.
This area is
called Cookham Reach and there are
some desirable residences backing onto the river on the opposite bank. Follow
the path past
Cookham Reach Sailing Club
and across open meadows along the
After a mile
follow the Thames Path under the railway bridge, then immediately turn left to
climb up and cross the River Thames to Bourne End using the footbridge attached
to the side of the iron
railway bridge.
The railway
bridge built in 1895 carries the single-track
branch railway from Maidenhead to Marlow via Bourne End
-
the
footbridge
was attached in 1998. To see photos
of the train journey
follow the link. At Bourne End Station the train changes line and then reverses
to Marlow. The journey from Bourne End to Marlow is locally known as the
Marlow Donkey,
its name coming from that of an
early train
(no. 522) based at Marlow. The branch line through Bourne End originally
extended north to
From the
footbridge there are good views along the river and the surrounding countryside.
It was on the southern stretch of the
Once over the
river climb back down to the Thames Path.
If you are
finishing your walk here. Go under the railway bridge, then left up some
steps and onto a path that leads to the station car park. Go straight on through
the car park and past an auction room. Bourne End Station is just to the left.
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